Praha 10 announced an international competition for the design of the Eden Cultural Center

Prague – The City Hall of Prague 10 has announced an international competition for the redevelopment of the area surrounding the municipal authority's headquarters in Vršovice, including the dilapidated cultural house Eden. This was reported today in a press release by the spokesperson of Prague 10, Jan Hamrník. The proposal will concern the space along Vršovická Street from the building of Prague 10 City Hall to the intersection with U Slavie Street. The municipality is also preparing a renovation of the town hall, which is set to start next year.

The dominant feature of the area affected by the proposal is the former cultural house Eden built in 1980, which has been unused for nearly 20 years. The town hall did not specify in the brief how it will deal with the building, leaving it to the architects' proposals. According to Deputy Mayor Martin Valoviš (ODS), both its reconstruction and demolition to make way for a new building are on the table. He stated that the current state is problematic. "That building was created in a certain time, it was relevant to that time, and its future use is highly debatable," he said.

The chairperson of the jury will be architect Martina Buřičová, and the jury will also include Vienna-based architect Günter Katherl and architect Oana Radeş from the Netherlands. "A member of the jury is also professor Ivan Kroupa from the Academy of Art, Architecture, and Design," added Hamrník.

The competition brief states that the goal "is to propose an urban building on the site belonging to the cultural house Eden and to present a concept for public spaces throughout the entire affected area." According to the brief, the building should provide rental housing in the upper floors, while the lower levels should serve culture, shops, and services. The submission deadline for proposals is September 17, and the jury will select those advancing to the second round. The prize for participants will be 1.2 million crowns for the first place, 900,000 for the second, and 450,000 for the third place. The next three places will receive a sketch fee of 150,000 crowns.

The leadership of Prague 10 is preparing a renovation of the adjacent town hall building, which is expected to cost over a billion crowns. According to earlier information, the repairs are set to start next year, with completion in 2024. The municipality intends to cover most of the costs from a grant from the Ministry of the Environment and a half-billion interest-free loan from the Prague City Council. During the renovation, officials will have to relocate to temporary premises, which the town hall has not yet secured.